A Happy Family
by blanchards
Summary: AU: Neal goes after Emma a year after he got the postcard, but he doesn't find exactly what he was looking for in Storybrooke.


It had been a year since Neal got the postcard. He knew exactly what the message meant as soon as he read it. He had been waiting about eleven years for this moment. Always wondering where she was, how she's been. If she was okay, safe. He never forgave himself for leaving her. It haunted him every single day and every single night and it was what scared him the most about seeing her again. How could she forgive him if he couldn't forgive himself? That's the biggest reason why he waited so long to find her. He was afraid she wouldn't even want to hear what he had to say.

So after a year he finally took the courage to go after her. He woke up that morning decided to make things right and to stop running away from it. He packed everything he thought he'd need, from clothes to the dream catcher, took his car and hit the road.

It wasn't so easy to get to Storybrooke since the town didn't really exist, but he knew it was in Maine and that he would somehow get there.

The "Welcome to Storybrooke" sign was in sight and Neal felt his stomach drop and his heart race when he saw it. He wondered how easy would it be to find her. What would be her first reaction once she saw him? Was she happy now that she had finally found her family? And maybe happy that he wasn't in her life anymore?

The day was sunny and warm and Neal had a really good feeling once he entered the town. He looked around and focused on the people walking on sidewalks, walking into places. None of the faces were familiar to him. But then again, he left the place where these people are from hundreds of years ago.

He was thinking about where he should go when he passed by a playground and something, or rather, _someone_, caught his eyes.

The blonde hair was as bright as the sun shining upon the town. She might've been eleven years older than the last time he saw her but it felt like she hadn't changed a bit.

She was sitting on a bench with her eyes focused on what it looked like a children's book. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. She looked beautiful and somehow joyful. Happy.

His gaze on her was so intense that he almost didn't notice the boy playing around the place. Neal looked around and noticed that there was only Emma and the boy and he didn't like the thoughts that were coming to his mind. Was that boy… hers?

The more he stared at the boy, the more he saw Emma in him. But there was also something in that boy that felt way too familiar to him, and when it hit Neal he could feel his heart beating even faster than it already was. Was that boy… his?

He looked like he was at least ten years old. Neal thought back at the time he had with Emma. They were young, they were in love. They didn't care about anything else but each other whenever they were together. So the chances of Emma getting pregnant weren't so low.

And it wasn't just that… Some of the boy's features resembled his so well. Neal felt a rush of guilt hit him when he realized she might've been pregnant. Alone. In jail. And all because of him.

His mind was spinning with a million thoughts but his freak out was interrupted when he saw a man approaching Emma.

The bearded man was carrying a stroller and had a smile on his face as he walked towards Emma. Neal noticed the man was wearing a sheriff badge.

Emma closed the book and her smile matched the man's. She got up from the bench and kissed him, then leaned over the stroller to take the child in her arms. The baby girl was giggling as Emma tickled her. The boy came running towards the family.

They looked like a family. A happy family.

In that moment Neal started wondering what was the point of being there. Would it make any difference if he tried to talk to her now? Deep down he still felt like they could have a second chance but it was cleary not an option now. And although it hurt him not being the one to make Emma happy, he was still glad she could find the home the always wanted. Her own family.

She had found Tallahassee with someone else.


End file.
